we have active weather to the south. let's start you out on a radar tour this morning. we are starting to see just light rain showers around calvert county the tip and also st. mary's around cape leonard and some light rain showers around loveville this morning as well. great mills getting in on that. but as we cross over the bay heading towards the eastern shore and southern maryland that's where we are starting to see a little bit of a wintery mix. see that around salisbury. the observations picking up on flurries. but that darker blue could be more heavy than flurries. be prepared for some light snow showers around that area. and also wingo and we are going to be dealing with the cold temperatures that charley was talking about this morning. we are looking at freezing or below. let's check the traffic with lauren cook. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. good news for those of you traveling in anne arundel county a. crash cleared from the eastbound lace of route 50 at route 2. no delays in the area. traveling on 95, this is what it looks like north of 195.

traffic is moving along. it's going take you the normal just 12 minutes to travel from elk ridge to downtown baltimore. and as we look at the other abc2 timesaver traffic drive times, no problems on the jfx. the normal 11 minute ride southbound from the beltway down to fayette street. 695 is in great shape. no delays on the west side. just 8 minutes on the outer loop from 795 down to 95. megan and charley over to you. saved from the fall. the house carried us to the other side of the fiscal cliff. but not without some risk and not without another battle looming. what does it mean for you? sherrie johnson is here to explain. >> reporter: well, yes, an agreement to prevent consequences of the fiscal cliff won approval in the house and president obama said whoa sign the law. law -- he would sign the law. they didn't make the deadline or get the grand bargain both parties claim was the ultimate goal. democrats and republicans gave themselves credit for getting something done. there was concern among

republicans about a lack of spending cuts. some wanted to add them in but it was not enough votes to get it passed. the deal would extend income tax cuts for all workers earning more than 400,000 dollars a year and households earning over 450,000 dollars. it prevents a tax hike on estates valued at less than 5 million dollars and extends unemployment benefits for 2 million people set to expire and although congress missed a january 1st midnight deadline by-passing the compromised deal in the house and senate, congress can take credit for retroactive tax cuts. >> it's a very, very strong first step. >> this is an important one and a critical one for the future of the country. >> reporter: now in about two months, congress needs to deal with spending cuts they put off and there will be a fight over the debt ceiling. reporting live in federal hill, sherrie johnson, abc2 news. so the deal is done and we

won't pay anymore in taxes this year. but it's not true. the fiscal cliff deal keeps income tax rates at courage level for 98% but doesn't extend the payroll tax cut. more will go into socialsecurity. most lower and middle income familiesly vied -- families will avoid a thousand more in income taxes they will pay more for payroll taxer. 2013 means changes are coming to health care. big thing to watch is with the health insurance exchanges. they have to be up and running by october 1st. only 18 states including maryland on thed to build their exchange -- opted to build their own exchange. other things to watch out with the health care reform act is contributions to a flexible spending amount is limited to 2500 dollars but you can deduct more unreimbursed medical cost when you file taxes but for that you have to itemize. 5:33. in the new year it's off to a

tough start for one county in sighs i will county. -- cecil county. a 10-year-old girl is fighting for her life after ringing in the new year. linda so is here to tell us what happened. >> reporter: it's serious. at last check she was in critical condition on life support. it happened as the clock struck midnight. witnesses reported hearing gunshots mixed in with fireworks. investigators believe a bullet went into the air and came back down hitting the girl in the head. the 10-year-old is from pennsylvania and was visiting family and collapsed minutes after midnight. it happened on ajs court in elkton. sheriff deputies are trying to figure out how far away the shooter was from the girl. investigators spent new year's day canvassing the neighborhood hoping to find more evidence. at this . they don't think the bullet -- at this point, they don't think it came from a family member. neighbors heard gunshots fired when the fireworks went off. >> firearms for celebratory reasons is not safe.

this is a unique example, but, this is also against the law. something people shouldn't do. >> reporter: now investigators with the cecil county sheriff office want you to call if you were in the area of ajs court and elkton on new year's eve. they are hoping to get more information from witnesses. the number is 410-392-2117. linda so, abc2 news. news around the nation, a man caught naked and wielding sword has been taken into police custody in california. officers in san jose tracked the suspect down after someone called 911 saying that the man had an assault rifle. police spotted the man's vehicle near the expressway and the man stopped the car and got out wearing nothing but his birthday suit. he had a large samurai sword. police were able to take him into custody after chasing him down on foot. two homeless men are called heros for foiling a robbery. a good samaritan saw a businessman being robbed in cincinnati and stepped in to help and cameras caught the

whole thing on tape. >> i got to the corner and another gentleman came up behind him and took his arm put it down around his head and took him to the ground between the cars and started to punch him. >> i heard someone yell for help and i looked over and a man was being assaulted. >> and instincts jumped in. you have to help. >> i ran across the street and stood over him so the guy couldn't hit him anymore. >> they didn't consider the fact that the guy could have had a gun. they followed their gut. the suspect was taken into custody and charged with a robbery. a pair of identical twins in ohio share an even more special bond. >> they do. they are both new mothers to start the new year. meet donovan and his parents amy and matthew. he was born at 12:11 p.m. now meet aiden's new parents along with the rest of the family he was born at 2:03 p.m. amy and ashley nelson are identical twins. we heard about twins special

connection. now their mother says the girls have a unique bond. >> they will go shopping on two different occasions not even talking to each other or anything and will end up bringing home the same thing but opposite colors. they -- until this day, they do that. >> the new moms say they never planned to be preg nan at the same time but it -- pregnant at the same time but it happened. and they were born on same day. >> check this out. they are in ohio and she was wearing that shirt. as far as the twin, she what you have to look forward to? >> i know. we will see. >> a day of fun in the snow takes a dangerous turn. >> we will tell you what happened after a sled took the turn that crashed into a frozen lake. how people sprang into action to help. >> and first it was colorado and then washington state. could legalized pot be the next thing for maryland? some say yes. but the lawmakers, will they agree?

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you're watching the station that works for you, abc2 baltimore. a fun day of sledding turns chaotic a shredder slide over a partially frozen lake in california and breaks through the ice. a number of people tried to help, throwing in ropes and inner tubes to get him.

but they started to fall through the ice themselves. eventually everyone was rescued. the lake had been shut down through march. >> you hear about the stories come wintertime all the time. so, good thing to keep in mind. a reminder to all of us to be careful out there. >> don't go on the ice lynette what do you think about this? >> i think that's horrible and in california the lakes are never going to freeze. it's not going to get cold enough for the lakes to freeze. so they should know better. stay away from frozen lakes because you don't know how solid the ice is. speaking of temperatures this morning, well, we are cold in some spots. most spots were cold but we are dealing with temperatures that are below freezing i should say. we can see that in manchester the further to the north you go that's where you are getting it. 28 degrees right now. monkton at 29. more of the same in bel air and the further to the south you go, in baltimore city that temperature coming in at 37 degrees. and we will stay cold as we go throughout the day. so be prepared for that and dress accordingly as you step out and about. make sure the kids dress the

same. that school day bus stop forecast is at 33. let's check the traffic with lauren cook good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's back to work back to school for a lot of people and traveling in white marsh no delays whatsoever on 95. it's nice and clear heading downtown. no problems to report on 695 from parkville up to towson. and as we check in and look live up in hunt valley, 83 no delays here from shawan to the beltway and it will remain clear as you do get on to the jfx and head downtown. that's your abc2 timesaver traffic. megan and charley over to you. if you are a business owner with 4 million dollars laying around, we have an idea for you. >> coming up this morning, we will tell you how to buy ad time using that 4 million and just how much time it will get you in the upcoming superbowl. >> and things will be much different for students returning to one school district this morning. we will tell you where police will soon be standing over the students safety. details on that straight ahead.

a new year, a new start. students from sandy hook elementary are going to start classes tomorrow in a different building. guest have been taken to the new school which is a nearbiton along with backpacks and belongings left behind following the shooting. the open house is scheduled for today and experts say that it

is important for the children to get back into the routine and for teachers and parents to offer reassurances. and beginning today armed police officers will be in marlboro township new jersey. the high school has a uniformed officer stationed there. another officer visits the middle and elementary schools but beginning today, police will man each school. the changes come in light of the sandy hook shooting. >> our job is to keep the jurisdictions and people here safe. 8,000 students in marlboro township and based on advice of my police department it's safer to have our trained police officers in the schools than not. >> school officials say the officers will be a normal. time for five things to know. fallout from the jerry sandusky case. state of pennsylvania is filing a lawsuit against the ncaa over the punishment. they took away wins reduced scholarships and temporarily banned the school from

competing in the post season. it's back to court today for the man accused of shooting people at a theater in aurora colorado. james holmes is facing multiple counts of murder. 12 people died and 58 others injured in the shooting. the new year means lights out for 75 watt light bulbs. under federal law they can no longer be produced on imported. retail kers set existing stock until they run out. the government is phasing out the bulbs in favor more energy efficient test. fructose can trigger -- the brain doesn't register being full. college basketball. maryland terrapins gear up for the acc open they are weekend at home against -- opener this weekend at home against virginia tech. analysts say the terps may have had some pretty easy competition up to this point. now they have to show what they

have in acc play. supporters of legalizing marijuana in maryland hope that what happened in colorado and washington state will help the cause. bills legalized for the drugs for medical use stalled in annapolis over past two years. state officials say they are concerned because the drug is still illegal under federal law it could put state employees and others in danger of being arrested. supporters say marijuana has a medical benefit and they argue the feds have not interfered with colorado's state run marijuana program. >> i would really like to see the governor just open the way for us. that's all. that's all. >> still no word this morning on whether the governor would support marijuana legallation during the 2013 session. komen maryland is a million dollars short of funding a number of programs to help women to detect breast cancer and treat it. the race for the cure fell 30%

short of the original goal. one factor that hurt donations the decision to stop funding breast cancer screenings at planned parenthood. the group reversed the decision a week later but the damage had been done. if komen maryland is short by the beginning of the fiscal year, they will have to start cutting funds to key programs. but hey if you have 3.8 million dollars to spend, there's 2 superbowl ads up for grabs. the game is a month away and cbs is close to selling out all ad space for the big game. we can expect to see a good mix of new companies now taking a stab at producing the memorable ads some for being great and some for being awful. veteran businesses like chrysler and m&m's the candies, they are not the wrapper. many of the ads will use social media to push the products and expect surprises like the little kid right there. i love that spot. >> that's a great ad and it's one that people talk about a lot. but i wonder does it work and

make you go buy a volkswagen. >> it's to be reminded it was voxing with aan ad but -- volkswagen ad and the matthew broderick avenue a -- ad a few years ago. >> i don't remember what it was. >> i did buy the dorito's where the dog hid the thing. >> but you never saw the ad. >> i never saw the ad but the dorito's. >> >> right. >> you will feel the temperatures. let's talk about what we have in westminster. we are looking at 24 degrees right now. and our low temperature for this time of the year should be at 25 degrees. so we are above that right now in baltimore coming in at 31 degrees. but we do have some much colder air on the way. and that will filter in this evening. so by tomorrow morning, these temperatures will be in the 20s. we will be talking about the teens. stephens -- stevensville at 32. same in goldsboro. we have the wind right now. now sustained, they are out of the north for the most part at 5 to 10 miles an hour. but we have been seeing gusts

higher than that close to 20 this baltimore and also hickory. 17 to be more accurate. let's talk about gheag on at the sur -- about what's going on at the surface. high pressure will build in going throughout the day. but in the meantime, we have that system to the south that's bringing in some rain around the carolinas this morning and snow up to the north. and lake-effect snow across the area around new york state. now as we check out the future trend, not picking up on a whole lot for today. we will get the clouds moving out of here. but temperature wise, this is what you can look at as we go local for today. 36 in sykesville and 35 in manchester. let's check the traffic with lauren cook. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. all is well right now on 95. no problems traveling from caton avenue to downtown baltimore. and if you are using 83, as we check in and look live at hunt valley at shah one road, not too many cars. you won't have issues once you get on the jfx and head into the city. normal 11 minute ride traveling

southbound from the beltway down to fayette street. looking at the other abc2 timesaver traffic drive times 695 nice and clear on east side it's going to take you 11 minutes to travel the outer loop from 95 up to 83. and no concerns over on the west side. you are looking at an 11 minute ride on outer loop from 795 down to 95. megan and charley over to you. hero is met with hugs and tears of joy after months of being away from his family. >> coming up next, we will go to a soldier's homecoming to his three young children just in time for the new year. that's coming up when good morning maryland continues.

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a soldier returns hoim in time -- home in time for the new year. >> he was reunited with his three young girls who were eager awaiting their dad to come home. he serves 8 months in afghanistan on the first tour of duty. his oldest daughter is 5 and the youngest one. you can imagine there were a lot of tears when he walked through the airport terminal and his little girl rushed into his arms. >> it was amazing. it was really good. we keep in touch and it's difficult not to be around them, but we get to see them

every night and it feels good. >> his mother says the girls had no idea that he he was coming home. but the girls were treated to disney before going to pick their father up at the airport. it was just gifts all around for them. >> yeah. a weekend to remember. no doubt about it. you are encouraged to get a flu shot each year but one hospital now wants to make a it mandatory. >> the employees are facing termination if they don't get the vaccinations. we will tell you what some are doing to be exempt from the rules. >> okay check this out. a little stress is okay but chronic stress can cause serious problems. doesn't make sense. so how can you do it and make yourself a bit more healthy to be more zen. details coming up. >> we have wintery weather in parts of maryland. i will tell you when every place dries out coming up. >> reporter: there are no delays right now on 695 west of york road and towson. i will let you know what traffic looks like on 95 and 83 coming up on good morning maryland.

you're watching the station that works for you. now, good morning maryland. neighbors say they heard gunshots with their fireworks at the stroke of midnight and investigators believe a bullet fired into the air hit a child. we have the latest on the investigation and the 10-year- old's condition. >> down to the wire at the last- minute congress gave the final approval towards a bill halting tax hikes and delaying